A Spring of Joy

In no particular order…

1. It is 9:00 a.m. and I think I just heard my phone ringing downstairs, but I’m not going to get it. You know why? Because I am in bed. On my laptop. And you know what else? The rest of my family is sleeping next to me still. Because the flu? It’s still here in all it’s nasty coughing and fevers and aching and crying. For the past three nights we just lined the kids up on the floor in our bedroom with lots of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals and a humidifier. It was much easier to have them all here with us than to have to get up out of bed every couple hours, run downstairs, calm crying children, and go back to sleep for a few precious minutes. Thankfully, they are getting better, it’s just really slow going. Bri is still feeling it. He did some minor work around the house yesterday and it wore him out, but I remind him that’s because he’s old. I, amazingly, still have not gotten it. Thank you for your prayers.

2. Fortunately, it is another Federal holiday, so Bri is home with me yet again and I have help with the kids. Yay for inaugurations!

3. Yesterday my oldest sat with Brian and listened to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech and asked a lot of questions and Bri gave a lot of answers. It is a moment that Bri will remember for a long time. And I hope today is a day we will remember for a long time, too. History is being made today, and while my political stance lines right up there with Ronald Reagan’s, I am excited to be able to sit with my children and watch history be made. And to pray with them for this man who has been called to lead our country, because our hope is not in a man, it’s in the One who governs the universe.

4. My phone is ringing again. I guess that means I should go answer it.

5. I am working on an update to let y’all know what is up with my treatment NEXT WEEK. Ugh. I am currently off my thyroid medication in order to prepare for treatment. That means my endocrine system is pretty messed up because my hypothalamus (that’s part of the brain) isn’t getting what it needs. The hypothalamus? I quote wikipedia “…is responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the Autonomic Nervous System. …The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, anger, and circadian cycles.” Y’all can just imagine what a DELIGHT I am to live with.

6. While I believe the internet can sometimes be a powerful weapon, it can also be a powerful tool. The same goes for blogging. It is easy for blogs to become just a “look at me or come worship my children with me” places or for us to become hung up on who’s reading and who’s commenting. But I love the tool that blogging can be. I love being able to catch up with friends far away and see what’s happening with them. I love the women that have stepped into my life from places I’ve never been, who have prayed for me and encouraged me and become dear bloggy friends to me. That would never have happened without blogging.

7. And this morning I did what I’ve been doing for the past few days, and I went to Kelly’s Korner and I prayed for their baby, Harper. I heard about Harper through another blog asking for others to pray for this family and this little girl who is in critical condition. So I went, and I joined in with thousands of others who are praying for this family. I am convicted and blessed by her words. Won’t you join me in praying for this family?

8. Recently, Kristin at No Small Thing wrote this in my comments: Satan carves out his evil in the sand, leaving deep furrows. But God washes over them in waves, and in time, those furrows are filled and smoothed. And the sun shines brightly on that smoothed sand. You will feel it again. Then she went and gave me a bloggy award. The Lemonade Award for “making life a little sweeter”.

I am humbled by her words and her encouragement, especially when I don’t see much sweetness exuding from me these days. The trick to these awards is to pass them on to someone else, so I’m passing it along to two friends… Monica and Natalie. They both have the gift of taking the ordinary and making it a miracle. Life. Because they can take the lemons life throws them and make lemonade. Here’s your shout out girls! Love you.

9. I love how God is in the details. We just got a new couch for our loft. A sectional. Because our old set up was a couch and a futon neither of which was very comfortable. What perfect timing! With the plague in our home, we’ve lived on the loft and we all fit on the couch for naps and snuggling and card games and tv-watching. I love little glimpses of God like this!

10. Because I am obsessed and can’t have only 9 points. Here is what Bella’s hair looked like when she got up this morning.

Bear said my hair looked like this, too. I will NOT be posting a picture of my hair.

11. (Oh, what the heck, I’m going outside of my comfort zone here with point number 11.) It’s now 10:00. Everyone is up except for Bri. Should I wake him?